Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan's mind-boggling Inception was riveting to a degree with some brilliant acting, especially from Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page. However, enough with the layers of dreams and jutting back and forth between them - confusion, confusion, confusion! Are dreams really like this??? Maybe those of psychotics or master minded criminals! Sure, we can't always understand what dreams mean, but... let's ease up a bit! What started as engaging and innovative turned into too much of a puzzlement ...  but, whatever one's feelings, Lee Smith should pick up an Oscar for his astounding editing.

The Fighter - 2010

Not normally a film that I would rush to see - I'm not a boxing fan - is David O. Russell's sleeper hit The Fighter about real-life half brothers Mickey Ward and Dicky Eklund. Christian Bale as crack-head Dicky and Melissa Leo as the mother Alice both give brilliant performances that should be recognized at Oscar time.
The story is about the difficult rise of welterweight fighter Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) in Lowell, Massachusetts and the dysfunctional family that controls his life, for better and for worse.
The family are hard to bear at times, particularly the big redneck sisters who are about as tough as one will find anywhere. They give loyalty a whole new meaning; at times, I was ashamed of my Irish heritage when I looked at them and detested the way they behaved. But loyalty does win out in this film, and Bale as Dicky does a 360 degree turn around which is riveting and unforgettable. Amy Adams adds terrific support as Wahlberg's girlfriend and Russell's direction is top-notch gritty. Terrific camera work which puts us right on top of the action at every moment.

2011 Golden Globe Nominations for Film

The 68th Annual Golden Globe® Awards will air LIVE coast-to-coast on Sunday, January 16, 2011 on NBC from 5:00-8:00 p.m. (PST) /8:00-11:00 p.m. (EST) from the Beverly Hilton Hotel with host Ricky Gervais.

The 68th Annual Golden Globe® Awards will be seen in more than 160 countries and is produced by dick clark productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street 2
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

BEST SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David Seidler, The King's Speech
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
In A Better World

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Bound to You," Burlesque
"Coming Home," Country Strong
"I See the Light," Tangled
"There's A Place For Us," Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"You Haven't Seen The Last of Me," Burlesque